


Seven

by Gozzer



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Injury, Denial, Depression, Diego Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Diego Hargreeves is Bad at Feelings, Diego Hargreeves-centric, F/M, Fights, Gen, Good Parent Grace Hargreeves, Good Sibling Allison Hargreeves, Good Sibling Diego Hargreeves, Good Sibling Vanya Hargreeves, Hurt Diego Hargreeves, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Medical Inaccuracies, Original Character(s), Pre-Canon, Protective Allison Hargreeves, Protective Vanya Hargreeves, Self-Harm, Soft Diego Hargreeves, Suicide Attempt, Training, UFC, fighting as a career, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:46:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26115907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gozzer/pseuds/Gozzer
Summary: Control and focus were hard earned things for Diego. He worked for them. He did anything to keep them.
Relationships: Allison Hargreeves & Diego Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves & Eudora Patch, Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves/Eudora Patch
Comments: 14
Kudos: 121





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warnings: self-harm and suicide attempt

Sometimes Diego couldn’t focus or control his stutter. It left him upset and angry most days, and sometimes Mom just couldn’t help him. He had been getting better. It wasn't nearly as bad as it was when he was still learning to talk, but he wanted it gone. His siblings didn’t have stutters, why did he? Why couldn’t he control it like Mom had taught him to? He just needed something to clear his head and help him focus on the words he wanted to say. 

That’s what had started it. That lack of control or focus in his life, in just a simple matter that he had been born with. He sat there in the dark trying to work through a sentence without stuttering for hours at a time, well past when the others had already gone to bed. It started as an accident really. His fingers were twirling one of his knives and tossing it up into the air to put his focus on something other than the broken words he couldn’t say. It spun in the air for a moment before coming back down to his waiting palm. In the back of his head he was still repeating the same damn sentence. (“The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”) Mom had given him a different sentence every week to practice with. It was really a simple sentence but he still couldn’t get his ‘m’ to work. All it took was a little slip up while he was saying the words out loud. The knife was in the air and he had gotten to ‘jump’, the knife came back down and he didn’t catch it. 

The blade came into contact with the soft inner part of his wrist. A little sting, barely a scratch, before it fell onto the covers under him. That little slip, that distraction, let the word leave his mouth without an issue; just because his focus was on something else. Diego picked up the blade and looked between the small drops of blood on his wrist and the shine of the metal. The thought left his mind as soon as it entered and he tossed the blade back into the air. It was an accident after all.

Then it kept happening. He would get stuck on a word and he would ‘forget’ to catch the knife. The warm metal cut his skin when he ‘accidentally’ moved his arm wrong and his focus was on something else. It was no longer on the sticky words, it was on the little sting. He had never been more proud than that next morning when he went up to Mom and said the sentence with only a little hiccup. She had smiled and patted his head and said he was doing wonderful. It was the best he had felt in days. 

Diego didn’t do it often or that deep. Only when he really got stuck on something and even then the cuts were barely scrapes. He got worse in training when fighting Luther or Allison. When Five disappeared, his stutter got worse and he couldn’t focus on the vigorous training their father put them through. Nothing was helping him. Those little scratches became useless, so he tried a little hard. The blood would bubble on the surface of the cut and drip down his skin to drop onto the floor. And he could think again. It was nothing perfect or threatening, the lines were neat and small along his left forearm; hidden away from sight by his uniform. 

The new rhythm he settled into waned as he got control over his stutter. He didn’t need that pinpoint of focus anymore. Not to say he didn’t still do it. He did, but only when he got overwhelmed or into a real fight with his siblings. Other things started to help with that need of release. He learned how to sneak out of the house with Klaus and they would wander the streets for a few hours before going home. It shifted his focus to other things. Then they turned seventeen and Ben died. Everything went downhill from that point on. 

He couldn’t get a grip on himself. The hard earned control was slipping through his fingers like his siblings were sliding out of his life. First Five, then Ben, then Allison, then Klaus. They left the Academy without a warning. Dad had stopped their training after Klaus left. It was just Diego and Luther left, and Vanya but she was getting ready to leave as well. Diego would spend most hours down in the training room by himself and taking his frustrations out on the dummies and targets. The sting and burn of his arms from the multitude of new cuts went from his forearms up to his shoulders and he still didn’t know what to do. Everyone was leaving him and he couldn’t stay at the Academy for too much longer before something happened. 

The warm air in the room had Diego sweating even after the short warm he had done. His body was pleasantly relaxed from his workings and he was ready to get into some of the more difficult training he had planned. There was so much he could still get from his powers, so much he could do that he knew he hadn’t touched on. The push and strain in his bones from the new training he put himself through just felt right. Like he was coming upon something monumental. He was close, he knew it. His knives curved around the room with his will in place and hit every target he was going for; even the ones that were hidden in the deepest corners of the room. It was exhilarating feeling the rush of wind when a blade went past him to search out the target he picked. One of the things he really enjoyed was seeing if he could bring the knives back to him. It worked when they were still in the air, but it was tricky on the timing. Sometimes the blade would fly past his hand and stick into a padded pillar behind him or he’d have to grab it out of the air before it hit its target. The hardest to catch were the ones that came from behind him. He would stand in the middle of the room and throw the knives forward, let them fly backwards, then try and pull them back to him. He hadn’t been successful yet. 

“Hey, Diego, Mom made lunch.” Luther’s voice filled the quiet room and startled Diego. He flinched and turned to look over at his brother, momentarily forgetting what he had been doing. A familiar thrum was in his veins but his attention was elsewhere. “Diego!” 

Something whizzed past his head. A thick, heavy, burn started from the empty space. For a moment he couldn’t understand what had happened then he felt the hot drip of blood down his face. He stumbled a step as he reached up to touch his fingers to the right side of his head. His eyes were focused on the silver blade sitting on the mats with blood coating the entire edge of it. Luther raced up to him and Diego couldn’t understand what the big deal was. It was a slip up, a little mistake. Yet, Luther pulled him out of the training room and to the infirmary where he called for Mom. Gauze was pressed to the side of his head while he blinked down at the blood staining his fingertips. This wasn’t the first he’d been hurt, why was it so important now?

“Oh, dear.” Mom swept into the room with a comforting smile and soft words. Diego went along with what she told him but that didn’t help the confusion. He was fine. His training had just gotten interrupted, it wasn’t a big deal. But he could see the careful look on Luther’s face and the concerned musings in Mom’s eyes. Was he missing something?

“What were you doing in there?” Luther finally asked when they sat on the kitchen table. It was just the two of them. Vanya was gone, Mom didn’t eat, Pogo ate in his office, and Dad had stopped joining meal times. 

“Training, what did it look like?” He took a bite of the sandwich Mom had made and glared at his brother. Luther narrowed his eyes. 

“How often do you throw those knives around? What type of training have you been doing?” The questions caused a fire to burn. Luther didn’t get to question how he spent his time or what he had been doing; it wasn’t his business. 

“Fuck off, Luther. It’s got nothing to do with you.” Before his brother could open his mouth, Diego grabbed the rest of his sandwich and left the kitchen. What he did in his free time was nobody’s business but his own. 

He lasted about another two weeks before he left the Academy. The money from his allowance had been saved up over the last couple of years so he was well off at the start. Pogo would probably keep him on until he really figured his shit out. He found an apartment and a job, then eventually he started the process of getting his bachelor’s degree in law enforcement. What he wanted to do in his life was help people and with his background going into law enforcement seemed like the best idea. In the four years it took for him to get his bachelor’s degree he never once picked up a blade; he had too much to worry about. But at twenty-two he graduated with his degree and immediately applied to the NYPD. It took months for him to get through the testing and screening before he finally got into the police academy. 

Where he met Eudora. He had never been in a relationship or been in love but she fell into his life and he finally knew what he had been missing. She showed him a different side to the world. One that he thoroughly enjoyed while they were together. The first time they had sex, he was admittedly nervous but he wasn’t a virgin by far. When his long sleeve shirt came off and his arms were on full display Eudora came to a stop in her own stripping. She got up on her knees and took his wrists in a gentle grip before pressing kisses along the thick scars. He didn’t understand why she did it, but there was something so endearing about it. The feeling was swept along in a current of other emotions when he pulled her face up to meet his. They never talked about it. 

Halfway through the academy and Diego got kicked out. Twenty-four and he now had no direction for the second time in his life. Money was tight and he refused to go back to the Academy when he got evicted from his apartment. He went out and got a job at a boxing gym where the owner, Al, let him stay in the boiler room. It wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t the worst situation. And with him living in the gym he spent a lot of time showing up the usual boxers that went there to train. 

He started to really get into boxing since there was little else for him to do during the days. Hours upon hours were spent training with the other gym goers and beating each and every one of them in their fights. The martial arts training he’d had since a kid really put him in a league of his own. He joined in the fighting competitions and any other trained fights he was allowed. Every time he stepped into the ring he came out on top. It gained him some attention. Some very skilled and interested attention. Diego caught the attention of a few professional fighters and coaches after entering into a higher viewed fight. Al had suggested it one night at closing as an off hand comment, but Diego had looked into. There was little else he was good at other than fighting and throwing things. After his eighth win in the ring someone got in contact with him. From there things tumbled together to bring him into professional fighting in the UFC.

Eudora had encouraged it after a few weeks of concern. It wasn’t a typical career but Diego was good at it. Things were coming together for him and he was oddly at peace with his life for possibly the first time ever. His knife collection was kept at his apartment but he only took them out when he couldn’t sleep. Most nights he couldn’t sleep. He would go out at night and be a ‘nuisance to society’ according to Eudora. Really he was just stopping crimes before the police got to them. Not as often as he’d like but often enough. It’s not like he did it all the time, he spent his days training at the gym before cleaning it for Al then he went out into the streets for a few hours. And when he showed up for training that next morning it was never questioned if he had another bruise. It was normal for what he did. 

The scars on his arms had earned him some looks when training. Most of the people that have been going there for months didn’t notice anymore but a newbie would catch sight of them every once and while. They never talked to him about them but he still caught to stares and sympathetic smiles. He had learned during college that the scars weren’t something that people normally showed off. It had been explained to him what most of society thought of them. Diego didn’t think he fit into the mindset of others that had the same scars. The scars had just been a means to focus, he wasn’t sad or depressed or whatever else people thought about him. He didn’t do it anymore, he had other means of focusing nowadays. So he generally just brushed the looks off and carried on with his day. 

It took three years but at twenty-six Eudora broke up with him. He’d seen it coming for nearly six months. They weren’t spending time together anymore. With him always training and her working fifteen to eighteen hour shifts they didn’t have time for each other. Diego knew it was going to hit hard but he didn’t expect how hard. When she finally said goodbye it brought up all of those feelings of when his siblings left him and more. He loved her so much. But he knew that begging for her to stay wasn’t going to either of them any favors. She grabbed all of her stuff from his apartment and disappeared from his life. And he threw himself into his training and his work and did all he could to keep his thoughts from turning to familiar corners. He didn’t need it anymore, he didn’t. 

His control was slipping. It was more than just Eudora leaving and digging up old memories, it was something new. Something that he refused to name. That familiar focus point crawled its way back into his life. He just needed a little something to help him clear his thoughts. It wasn’t even something he did often. Training really helped his lapses in control but those lapses also happened most often during those long hours. The coach he worked with had commented on loose punches and missed takedowns, but nothing else. Not the lines of red on his wrists or the fact that they were too perfect and evenly spaced to be anything more than self-inflicted. They bled sometimes during particularly hard techniques or when he irritated them with his movement. Nobody said anything. Not until he lost his first fight. 

The lights around the ring were bright and the fans were loud. Diego bounced on the balls of his feet to shake out his nerves and tapped his gloved hands together. This fight had been ramped up for the last month and the entire building was an edge with excitement; he could feel it in the air. That feeling was what really got his blood pumping. It was what he normally tried to shake out before he stepped into the ring. The thrill never quite disappeared though. 

_ “In the red corner we’ve got Diego Hargreeves!” _ The announcer’s voice cut through the low hum of noise. Diego’s coach patted him on the back before they stepped through the curtain.  _ “Welterweight champion for the last two years, coming in at 5’11 and topping out at the weight limit at 170 pounds. It’s going to be an interesting fight to witness tonight.” _ The crowd cheered for him and he couldn’t help that little bit of showmanship he picked up from Klaus when they were younger. He lifted a fist to his mouth and made the motion of blowing a kiss to the crowd with a wink and smirk. It never failed to get the fans riled up.  _ “The amount of sheer training behind this man would make anyone think twice about facing him in the ring. Being part of the infamous Umbrella Academy allowed him several years of mixed martial arts training before even stepping foot into a gym. With his twenty-five and oh record, this is gonna be a fight for the history books.” _

“Alright, you know the drill, what your tactic is?” Jared, the coach Diego had been working with for years, asked. 

“Establish my range and don’t pussyfoot around. I know, I know, how long have we been doing this?” He lifted an eyebrow at the other man with a sharp smirk. He had this in the bag. Jared shook his head and laughed before slapping him on the shoulder. One of the refs wiped his face down with vaseline to ward off splitting then he was allowed to enter the ring. His opponent was a newcomer with a lot of potential to win. Just out of amateur fights and looking to get a name started. Diego never really knew what that feeling was like. 

With the start of the timer Diego took the first step towards the fight. The kid was hardly twenty-four but looked well put together for this type of fighting. Diego didn’t need to wait before he sent a quick jab towards the kid’s face. It just barely missed his chin. A fist was swung at his head and without wasting a breath, Diego ducked and aimed a sharp punch at the kid’s unprotected ribs. It was too easy. He dodged the kick aimed at his knees and brought a knee into the kid’s lower left side. The kid backed up with a jump; most likely to try and read Diego’s next move. Which would never work because he always fought in the moment. A hit for a hit unless he went for the takedown or knockout. Then it was all bets off and he fought like he used to against Luther. Most of the beginning seconds of a fight he danced around with his opponent before he really got into it. They hardly stood a chance after that. 

In the background of their fight Diego could barely hear the roar of the crowd and the commentators talking over them. Diego moved out of range of a right hook and retaliated with a spinning back kick to the kid’s face. His foot clipped the kid’s head but before he went down, his hands caught Diego's ankle. With a string of curses in his head, Diego hit the mat in time with the kid. But he wasn’t dazed after a kick to the face. He was up on his knees and pulling the kid into a tight hold with his arm around the kid’s neck and his feet holding struggling legs down. This was going to end quick. But then the kid’s fingers caught Diego’s forearm and pressed down on the new lines that had only had a few hours to heal. They broke open and started to bleed down them both. It was enough of a shock to Diego’s system that the kid got out of his hold and wiggled around to aim a punch at his face. 

_ “Looks like Hargreeves has a rival in the ring.” _ Diego shut out the noise and blocked the sting to try and get his bearings back. His arms came up to cover his face and caught a punch. Another one came down on the left side of his head then a knee to his exposed ribs. He managed to roll out of the kid’s hold and jump to his feet. Blood dripped into his glove and onto the mat. It caught the ref and commentators’ attention but Diego ignored it. He’d lived with more blood than that and still fought. But his opponent now knew that there was a weakness to exploit. The next ten seconds were a blur. Diego kicked out at the kid but it didn’t connect, then a fist was slamming into his forearm. Blood smeared on white skin and white canvas and coated pristine white gloves. Then Diego was stumbling back from a fist hitting his right temple. He tried to shake away the spots and ignore the burn in his arm, but another hit came to his left side. The mat wasn’t comfortable when he hit it. 

The ref got between the two of them before the kid could aim anymore damaging shots. Diego blinked away the daze and rolled onto his side. He was done, he hadn’t been rattled like that since he was seventeen and caught a punch from Luther to the jaw. The fight was called and Jared was helping him to his feet then down on a stool to let the medic take a look at him. For a couple minutes he was checked out then a bandage wrapped around his left forearm. Immediately the white was turning red. Diego pushed himself to his feet and went to stand on one side of the ref despite knowing he had just lost his first fight. With it called and the kid’s arm held into the air, Diego moved to congratulate him. Not just anyone could beat him. 

“Hey, you did good, kid. Keep up like that you might make it big.” He patted the kid’s shoulder with his right hand but he saw light eyes go to his left. It had him sighing. 

“Look, man, I’m sorry. I didn’t see them when we started, if I did I wouldn’t’ve pulled something like that.” The kid gave him an apologetic smile as they walked out of the ring. “My sister has them too. I get it.” Diego shifted on his feet, uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation. 

“It’s fine.” He knew this was a stupid idea but he was going to do it anyway. “But if you ever want to learn to win fair you’re always welcome to come train with me sometime.” Honest company was something he was missing and he could see this kid had potential, a lot of good potential. He had always been a better coach than a fighter. A few teenagers that used to come to Al’s gym could attest to that. 

“Yeah, sure! I wouldn’t mind a few pointers from a champion.” With that they parted ways. Diego made his way behind the curtain where Jared was waiting for him. There was something in his expression that Diego knew wouldn’t end well for him.

“You need to get some serious help, Diego. I turned my eye on it for a while but now it’s getting in the way of your fighting.” Diego snorted and grabbed the water bottle sitting on the bench next to him. “Find a therapist or something before your career is over.” Jared moved around the space while talking and Diego had always gotten annoyed at it. 

“It’s one fight! And the kid was better than I expected.” He could feel his temper rising at the disbelieving eyebrow raised at him. “It’s none of your damn business anyway. Keep your nose where it belongs.” 

“Straighten up your act or you're done, Diego.”

In the following weeks Diego tried to curb the itch under his skin. He could admit that it had gotten worse but it wasn’t like it was a problem. His knives found themselves collecting dust under his bed as he focused his attention on other things. The kid, Thomas, had stopped by the gym a couple of times and Diego knew he was going places; he was good. But what little joy he got out of his teaching was dashed when he heard about Vanya’s book. He was pissed. She didn’t have any damn right to write that thing and talk about things she didn’t understand. None of their lives had been perfect or great while growing up but she didn’t find them complaining about it. No, they sucked it up and moved on. Diego spent several hours out on the mats to take out his anger. 

It was that damn book. He tried to get it out of his head and ignore the glaring words on the page that spoke far more truth than Vanya had any right to know. For hours at a time Diego would pace his apartment or just sit in front of the windows and watch Queens move on below. He was restless and unfocused and in need of something. Just something. The knife set under his bed was a something. The bottle of cheap whiskey in the cabinet was another. Even that damn pack of cigarettes that he bought on a whim months ago. He decided on all of them in the end. His old harness was pulled out and put on and with the pack in his back pocket with a lighter, he left his apartment. The half empty bottle of whiskey was in his hand as he walked the streets. A cigarette was in his mouth and his thoughts were elsewhere; not really focusing on one thing or another. It was a good distraction. 

By the time Diego stopped his walk he was on a pier. A glance around allowed him to know it was Canarsie Pier. He had walked all the way into Brooklyn without noticing. Not really caring, he fished out the last cigarette from the pack and sat down on the edge to stare into the water. It did nothing more than remind him of the water tank in the lower level training room. The one where he had spent hours upon hours sitting at the bottom of holding his breath to see how long he could last. That in turn brought back the rest of the horrible memories of the Academy and just why he hated that damn book so much. The bottle was brought to his lips while he crushed the butt of the cigarette next to him. He wouldn’t be getting anything done later. It didn’t bother him, his thoughts to wired in on the Academy and his family. Seven, god, there were seven of them and they were all fucked up. 

Without much input Diego had his harness off and his jacket followed until he was left in his workout shirt shivering in the cold fall air. Their birthday had just passed. Barely a week ago they turned twenty-eight. The blade in his hand was a familiar comfort that he hardly noticed. It was tossed up in the air and caught and left to spin in the air above him before he let it fall back into his waiting palm. This wasn’t the first birthday he’d celebrated alone but there was something different about this one. He couldn’t name it but he didn’t like it. It made his skin itch and his eyes burn and everything ache. The last of the whiskey was poured into the water. It didn’t matter anyway, it was a shitty brand that Klaus used to drink. The blade fell through the air and into his waiting hand then was brought to an already scarred wrist. Seven. There used to be seven of them. Then he lost two brothers and the others drifted away and his sisters never cared for his presence; not that he cared for them much either.

The sting was welcome and so was the comforting warmth of blood that coated his wrist. That soon drenched his entire forearm. It was only seven. What an unlucky number. Diego snorted at the thought and switched hands. The blade was hot against his cold palm. He should get a hold of himself before someone sees him. But his straying thoughts and lost control wouldn’t allow for it. Things blurred together as the tip was brought down on his right wrist like it had been on his left. The blood that beaded from the puncture barely caused him to blink. He wasn’t seeing his arm anyway. Memories of his siblings crowded his mind. Luther and his stupid Number One complex, and Diego could always find a way to get under his skin. Allison with her older sister thing despite them being the same age. Klaus’s lame jokes and eccentric choice of clothing that he used to steal from Allison and Mom. Five and the arrogant air that never seemed to leave him. Ben always knowing how to make them smile no matter what had happened. Vanya, that quiet presence that used to play the violin for them. Diego missed his siblings. He never thought he would but they were twenty fucking eight and he hadn’t see a single one of them since he was seventeen. 

The blade fell from his hand into that open space between his thighs. It dripped blood onto his pant leg but he didn’t really notice or care for that matter. Blood trailed off his fingertips as he let his arms fall onto his knees. Drops fell into the water below him. He blinked at the red mess but only looked away. It’d be fine. His head fell against the railing in front of him and he watched the little drops fall into the water; they didn’t even disturb the surface. What a sad sight. He counted each drop but he was tired and ready to sleep. The total reached seven before the darkness creeping into his vision took over.


	2. Chapter 2

Diego woke up to a softly lit room and a steady beeping. It took a few moments for his memories to come back but when they did he groaned. He had fallen asleep on the damn pier and someone had found him. No doubt they thought he tried to kill himself, what with the mess they probably came upon. He should've just gone home. Now he was stuck in a damn hospital with people that thought they knew what was going on. It wasn't like what they were thinking anyway. 

The door opened and Diego was greeted by an older woman. She gave him a gentle smile before going through the motions of checking his vitals and machines. Diego glared at her for a moment before looking down at his arms. He could admit he might have taken it a bit far. The thick white bandages went the entire length of both forearms and he recognized the wrapping that was used to protect stitches. Too far or not, he still didn't want to be in the hospital. The nurse told him that the doctor would be in soon to talk before she slipped out the door. He didn't give a damn what the doctor had to say. He was fine. 

It took nearly an hour. Then the door was opening again to reveal a short man with a sympathetic smile on his face. Diego barely paid any attention to what the doctor was saying. Yes, he knew the cuts were deep enough to need stitches, yes, he knew they thought he was suicidal, yes, he understood that he was on a watch for the time being. But just because he knew didn't mean he had to agree. He tried to argue that he was fine and they got the details wrong but the doctor wouldn't hear it. Eventually the doctor said that they had called his family and that shut him up. No one was at home anymore, not that would come see him. Luther was on the moon and Dad didn't care. Klaus didn't have a stable phone source or number, so that left two options. Vanya lived in the city, so she was an obvious call, and Allison in LA. He wouldn't put it past the damn hospital to call both of them. 

With a colorful curse on Diego's part the doctor left the room. He was left fuming by himself for some time. Then the door opened again. Vanya and Allison both stood in the doorway and he couldn't help the snarl when he saw them. He was just fucking fine. He didn't need or want them there. They didn't take the silent warning as they stepped into the room and moved to either side of him. The sad looks on their faces had him scoffing. It's not like they actually cared. Not with Vanya writing that fucking book about them. 

"Diego…" Allison started but didn't know what to say. Diego kept his glare on the far side of the room, he didn't want to look at them. This wasn't their business. "What happened?"

"Oh? Like you'd care to know. It's got nothing to do with you anyway." That was a lie. The only reason he was in this mess was because he couldn't control where his thoughts went. They always turned to his missing family eventually. 

"We just want to understand," Vanya said. 

"That's rich! What? You came here to get more for your sequel? Got enough yet?" He knew the words cut her deep and he pushed away the guilt that came with it. Sister or not, she had still written it. 

"Diego." He finally looked over at Allison to find her frowning. 

"Don't act like her book was no big deal." Diego shook his head and clenched his fists on his thighs. He hated that damn book. 

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt anyone when I wrote it." Vanya put a hand on the bed next to him and he looked over at her. There were tears in her eyes, and curse him for being soft because now he felt bad for making his little sister cry. 

"Let's not talk about that right now, okay?" Allison asked, ever the mediator between the siblings. Diego snorted and crossed his arms, tucking the bandages tight against his chest. It caught both of his sisters eyes. "Diego, we just want to know what happened. We're not gonna judge you, I promise."

"There's nothing to judge." 

"Diego, please." He could hear the crack in Vanya's voice and sighed. 

"Look, it's not what those damn doctors are saying. It wasn't a suicide attempt." Both of them flinched at the word. "I'm not gonna kill myself. I've got a damn fight in a couple months and I'm not wasting the chance to get my title back. So, pack away that concern, I'm fine." He knew he was being harsh but he didn't care. They understood him anyway. 

"Then what was it?" Allison's voice was soft and so close to how Mom used to talk to him. She'd learned a thing or two from having her own kid it seemed. 

"I got distracted and careless." And it didn't help that he was a bottle deep in whiskey. Things just slipped by. Diego stared at the itchy blanket covering him while it got quiet in the room. He knew his sisters were sharing looks but he didn't care. 

"Look, Diego, there's something else we need to talk about." He looked over at Allison with a frown growing on his face. What else was there to talk about? Why were they still there? "The doctor doesn't think it's safe for you to go home alone."

"He thinks you should stay with someone," Vanya said. 

"What? He wants me to stay with one of you? As if." Diego was just fine in his apartment in Queens. He didn't need someone to watch his every move. "No. I'm going home and continuing my life, thank you."

"It's more than just the doctor, Diego." A new voice came from the door. Jared stood there with his arms crossed and a sad look in his eyes. "I can't let you continue fighting after this, not until you're clean. I'm sorry, man."

"It's for the best." Allison put a gentle hand on his upper arm that he shrugged off. 

"We're not gonna force you, but you need to think about it. I don't want to see you in a gym." Diego glared at Jared before looking away. A couple weeks of living with someone else wouldn't be too bad. It's not like they could stop him from fighting completely, and he's still got the fight lined up. 

"Fine." The relief on their faces made Diego sigh. He didn't like this idea. 

"Alright, we just need to work out who you want to stay with." The little smile on Allison's face was mirrored by Vanya. It was unsettling. He didn't think he'd enjoy the conclusion being drawn. "Vanya is still in New York and I'm in LA. It's up to you though." He sure as hell wasn't staying with Vanya. But he didn't want to leave Queens either, and LA was across the country. Vanya didn't even seem comfortable with the suggestion of him staying with her. 

"LA it is."

After Diego was released from the hospital Allison joined him at his apartment. Where she actually helped him pack away some of his things even when he told her off. He didn't like his stuff being touched. She had looked at the knife case sitting on his bed and without a word closed it, putting it back under the bed to collect more dust. The most that he needed was some clothes and essentials before they were heading for the airport. He was used to flying by now but that didn't mean he liked it. When they got to LA Allison introduced him to her husband and daughter that met them at the airport. It was a little uncomfortable but he got over it. Claire was a sweetheart and Patrick was nice enough. 

A habit settled between them. Every time Diego left the house, and Allison was home, she would tell him to leave any sharp objects behind. When he came back it was the same deal, no sharp objects on his person. It was annoying at first but he got used to it. He didn’t feel the need to carry his knives on him anyway; he didn’t need them. The two weeks he had planned on staying turned into two months, he won his fight, then two became three and four. And soon he had been living with Allison and her family for nearly a year. 

He carried on his training in a different gym in LA with another coach. His fighting no longer suffered and he hadn't lost another fight. Things had settled down, he hadn't touched a knife and he sold his apartment in Queens. Everything within had either been sold or shipped out to LA. The knife case that had been collecting dust went to stay with Vanya since he couldn’t part with it. She had commented on it but when packing his things for him, she had taken it with her. Then Allison fucked up. Diego went back to New York while she took care of her divorce and custody battle with Patrick. He didn't want to do it but Vanya welcomed him into her apartment when she got his call. They both liked their separate spaces so sharing one was a bit of an adjustment. Or at least it was until Diego convinced her to move into another apartment. He couldn’t stand the small space of her old one, so they got one with two bedrooms and a full kitchen that he paid for most of. 

Allison had obviously told Vanya about her checking routine because his other sister soon adopted it as well. But she was more lenient with it since he’d been clean for a year already. He went back to training at Al’s gym and the teenagers he had been teaching greeted him warmly; glad to have him back. Jared didn’t take up coaching him again; Diego was training just fine on his own. And instead of cleaning the floors after hours for Al, he was hired as a full time coach and trainer. He pulled in quite a few new members when he first came back. 

But just because his life had settled back into a familiar routine didn’t mean that he and Vanya didn’t have problems. He took up his vigilantism again when he stepped foot into the city and she hated it. The knives that had been sitting in her closet were brought out and put back in their rightful place under Diego’s bed. He never touched them other than when he went out at night, but Vanya still hated it. Every time he came back in the morning or late at night she would have either left a note asking about the knives or be awake to ask the question herself. It got annoying but he accepted that she was worried. And when he was gone for longer than three hours she was allowed to check him when he came home. He had been doing well though and not a single new cut appeared on his skin that he inflicted himself. It was a big deal to his sisters and he could admit he was proud of staying clean. 

“Hey.” Vanya’s voice cut through the quiet of the apartment as soon as Diego opened the front door. He had been out all night and it was nearly seven in the morning. The morning light came through the open blinds and mingled with the lamps that Vanya insisted she kept from her last apartment. She was in the kitchen by the sound of her voice. He moved along the wall that blocked the kitchen from the rest of the living room to find her looking through the fridge. “Knives?” 

“Going back in my room, chill. I know the drill.” He started rolling up his sleeves to show that no new cuts had been done. She glanced down then gave him a smile before going back to her digging. “What’re you looking for?” He moved to lean on the counter next to her to peer into the fridge around her. 

“My refill. I keep it in the butter container, did you move them?” She pushed a bottle of beer to the side to find nothing behind it. 

“Why would I touch your pills? Or your butter container?” They had wildly different tastes and styles in food. He kept healthy and on a strict diet while Vanya generally ate what they had lying around or whatever he made. She liked junk food like Klaus and kept snacks hidden where she thought Diego wouldn’t find them. He knew where they were but he didn’t touch them. 

“I don’t know!” She stepped back and closed the fridge door. “I must’ve not gotten a refill when I ran out last time.”

“You’ll be fine for a day or two.” Diego pushed away from the counter to head for a shower. He could hear her muttering under her breath but he ignored it. She probably already put in for a refill and would be getting them later that day anyway. “You might find you don’t need them.” The comment she threw back at him made him laugh. She was becoming more snarky with her words after all this time. It was a good look on her. 

Near six months had passed since Diego moved back to New York. The end of March was coming and he had another fight in the middle of April. He spent his days teaching at the gym before Al let him do his training at night; so he hadn’t been going out at night for a while. It had been long enough and Diego had left his training for the next day. Vanya wasn’t home with her rehearsal lasting well past her usual hours. Her orchestra had a big concert coming up and Diego had heard all about how excited she was; and her violin practice during the hours he was home. Not for the first time, or last, their apartment was left empty that night. 

The robbers were subdued and the small family safe when the tv caught Diego’s attention. A news channel was playing. It showed a picture of Dad and went to talk about how he had died the night before. Diego turned away from it and slipped out of the house like he had entered to go back home. His night was cut short with this new revelation. Vanya would be getting back at about the same time as him; and they stepped into the apartment mere seconds after each other. At first they didn’t say anything then Diego went to the fridge and grabbed a couple of beers. They sat on the couch in silence for a while before Vanya broke it by saying she would see him at the Academy before heading for her room. He stayed in the living room for another hour before he too went to get some sleep. 

Early the next morning, before the sun had even risen, Diego was down at the gym training. He didn’t do it last night and if he knew his family he wouldn’t have time during the day either; Al was going to be pissed. For nearly four hours he trained before he finally told Al that he wouldn’t be back for the rest of the day. There had been a mild curse out but Diego just ignored it, he wouldn’t be fired. Diego took a shower at the gym and threw on some other workout clothes that he kept in the locker before heading out. The jacket he wore that morning was put on to ward off the early spring chill. He was regretting not putting on pants instead of shorts. The Academy wasn’t that far of a walk from the gym and he’d rather waste the time spent walking anyway. There was little desire in him to go back to that place. 

When he pushed open the door he found Vanya and Allison standing in the foyer. Vanya was dressed in black like he expected her to be and Allison looked to be in designer, also like expected. It seemed Allison had bleached her hair again since he had last seen her. It had been growing out when he left. 

“Way to dress for the occasion.” Allison said, her eyes taking in the black shirt clinging to him and black shorts. He eyed her up and down in return. 

“At least I’m wearing black.” He swept past Vanya as she rolled her eyes and headed for where Mom was most likely to be. “Anyone else here yet?” It was strangely quiet. He stopped at the beginning of the hall to look back at his sisters for an answer. 

“I just got here like you,” Vanya answered. 

“Not that I’ve seen, but I think Luther might be.” That left Klaus unaccounted for. Diego gave them a nod before disappearing down the hall heading for the kitchen. Even if Mom wasn’t down there he was starving. 

All of them were apparently there and he had been the last to arrive. Luther called a family meeting while Diego was finishing a sandwich; it wasn’t what he usually ate. He moved through the halls back to the library where he knew the meeting was going to take place. Everyone was already there with Klaus at the bar. Typical and expected at least. Luther gave him an unimpressed look that he ignored in favor of taking the seat opposite Allison by the fireplace. The warmth had him stripping off the jacket he still wore and tossing it onto the couch next to Luther. It caught almost everyone’s attention. 

“Can I?” Allison held out her hands towards him like she had done when he still lived with her. He rolled his eyes but held out his arms towards her. 

“He’s clean,” Vanya commented. It didn’t stop Allison from turning his arms in her hands to look. The thick criss-crossing of old scars were out for the world to see along with the newer set of numbers carved into his right arm. He hadn’t really paid any attention to them after they healed. But looking at them let him see just how bad the ragged scars were. From the start of his wrist to his inner elbow were the numbers one through seven that he had done during that last session. They stood out against the thinner scars underneath them.

“What happened? Clean from what?” Luther stared down at his arms and Diego glared up at him. He took his arms back from Allison and crossed them over his chest. “Diego.” 

“It’s got nothing to do with you.” There was very little of Diego that wanted to tell Luther what had happened. He wasn’t there, therefore it didn’t concern him. “Don’t we have a funeral to discuss?” That earned him a warning look from Allison and glare from Luther, but the conversation was finally started. 

It was going about as well as expected. Luther wanted to have a service at sundown in the courtyard that none of them cared enough to argue about. Then he asked Klaus to talk to Dad and the conversation spiraled from there. Dad’s stupid monocle was missing and that was enough for Luther to think one of them had killed him. It was a laughable idea. One which Diego disproved the second the accusation came to light. 

“He thinks one of us killed Dad.” It got quiet when Luther didn’t deny it. Before anyone else could speak up thought, Diego carried. “Which is bullshit by the way. Because none of us were here the night he kicked it.” 

“And how do you know?” Luther asked, sounding skeptical of the very idea that Diego would know something of importance. 

“Let’s see, you were on the moon.” Diego ticked up on finger with the words. “Allison was in LA.” Another finger. “Klaus was clearly in rehab again.” A third finger. “And Vanya and I were at home.” His pinky and thumb came up. “So that’s all of us. Dad died of a damn heart attack, let it go.” 

“You and Vanya?” Diego just barely held back the snarl that tried to make an appearance at the tone Luther used. 

“He’s been living with her since he left my place in LA.” Allison cut in before another, bigger, fight could start. “Just leave him be, Luther.” Ah, that big sister personality was coming out to play again. It made Diego snuff out a snicker while he got to his feet. Any time Allison got that way about her it never failed to make him laugh. 

“If you got nothing else to ‘cover’, I’m gone.” Diego didn’t even wait for Luther to answer before he walked out of the library. Behind him he could hear Luther call out to him then Klaus make a comment about killing Mom before he disappeared from hearing range. As much as he loathes ‘family time’ he was glad to be around his siblings once more. It eased something that he didn’t know was coiled up. 

Diego was not beyond admitting that he liked to rile Luther up. It was just too easy not to. After Ben’s statue was knocked down though Diego knew it had gone too far. He didn’t say anything as he led Mom back into the house where Five had disappeared. The little shit hadn’t changed any. Once everyone was inside again Vanya said she was going home and made him promise to not do anything rash. He made the false promise, already knowing that he was going to blow off some steam at the gym for the entire night. It was going to be a long session. She just gave him a look that said she knew he was lying before leaving the Academy; she had lessons to teach in the morning. They parted ways at the doors and Diego went for the kitchen where he could hear Allison and Klaus talking. He was pulling on his jacket when he stepped inside. 

“Alright, so we’ll be here again in ten years? When Pogo dies?” He asked, moving around Allison to pick up a cookie that Mom had left out on the table. 

“Not if you die first,” Allison shot back. 

“Ooh, low blow, sis.” Their exchange brought a puzzled look to Klaus’ face but he didn’t comment on it. He could figure it out on his own. “Good luck on your next film.” She had called a couple weeks ago to talk about it but he honestly hadn’t been paying that much attention. 

“Anything sharp on you?” The question stopped him just before he reached the door. 

“No, ma’am.” 

“Good, keep it that way.” He held a middle finger up to her that had her laughing then went to push open the door. Then there was movement and Klaus was at his side. 

“Where’re we going?” Klaus asked, probably looking for a ride. But Diego didn’t take his car to the gym which meant he didn’t have it parked in the alley. He had just been planning on walking home like usual from the gym. 

“We are not going anywhere, I am leaving.” He knew that wouldn’t work but he was going to try.

“Great, I’ll get my things!” And with that Klaus was racing out of the kitchen. Diego shook his head and opened the door into the back alley. Whether he planned on taking Klaus with him or not, he waited for his brother at the end of the alley anyway. Who came down the fire escape with a bag over his shoulder and a grin on his face. 

“Come on, I’ll walk you to the bus stop.” It wasn’t that far from the gym. Klaus fell into step next to him talking to something on his other side. Diego had learned to not question who Klaus was talking to and just let him carry on. Before they even reached two blocks Klaus was begging him to get waffles. Something about being hungry and eggs not being a dinner food. “Fine, fine! We can head for Griddy’s instead. I should probably eat something too.” Though he was pretty sure Griddy’s only served donuts.

Klaus thanked him before going back to his one sided conversation. Diego tuned it out in favor of watching several police cruisers shoot down the street next to them. On the way to Griddy’s. Despite his protesting Klaus didn’t follow him after Diego told him to stay at the bus stop. He carried on towards Griddy’s where he found only a bloody mess in the building. Sneaking in the backdoor to a police investigation was a terrible idea but Diego never said he had good ideas to begin with. Eudora caught him by his jacket and he saw the taser coming. It wasn’t the first time he had gotten ‘in the way’ of her crime scenes and he doubted this would be the last. After he got back to New York they had an interesting relationship. One that he wholeheartedly would pursue again. She even seemed willing but he hadn’t worked up the nerve to ask her out again. Somehow he knew that asking her out for coffee in the morning while sitting in the back of a police car was not a good idea; even though he was so tempted to do it. 

The next morning he was finally released from his holding cell. Eudora made him leave before he got in the way even more. Diego stopped by the gym to get some hours in with his trainees and possibly get Al off his back for ditching. It was nearing the late afternoon when he finally decided he needed some sleep. Holding cells weren’t the most comfortable places. He walked the entire way back to the apartment even though he was dead on his feet. When he got to the door he could hear amatuer music playing like he was used to when Vanya was teaching her lessons. Most of the time he wasn’t home but he had had to listen to enough violin practice to last a lifetime. He pushed open the door to find Vanya standing next to a man that was holding her violin; not correctly, he could even see that. At the sound of his entrance both of them looked over. 

“Jesus, Diego, where’ve you been?” He could hear the fear in her voice. He had never stayed out of the house that long, always coming back in the morning after leaving the station. The worry and concern his sister had made him roll his eyes. 

“There was a shootout at Griddy’s, Eudora arrested me.” Diego took off his jacket and tossed it on the couch before moving for the kitchen. He hadn’t eaten anything since the night before. “I’m fine, by the way. You need to stop worrying so much, you’ll turn into Allison or Pogo at this rate.” There was a bottle of water in the fridge that he took out along with a take out container that he knew to be leftovers from a Thai place down the road. 

“That’s mine.”

“Not anymore.” He grabbed a fork out of the drawer and went to sit down on the couch. “Do carry on with your lesson, the guy needs it.”

“Diego!” Vanya shot him a look that he ignored. Looking up from the book that Vanya had left out on the coffee table, Diego found the other man in the room looking nervous. 

“No, no, he’s right. I do need the practice.” The man turned to give Vanya a smile that made her flush. Diego studied the man; there was something familiar about him. Instead of commenting on it like he wanted he went back to the food in his hand and the book in the other. He should be eating more than he was with all the training he had been doing, and still needed to do. Which meant a trip to the store at some point in the near future. 

It took nearly an hour for Diego to remember where he recognized the man, Leonard, from. When he did, Vanya's lesson was already over, the man was gone from the apartment, and her next session started. With the little girl around he couldn’t very well talk to Vanya about it. It left him ansty and his leg bouncing with the need to do something. He couldn’t let Leonard be around his sister. He wasn’t big on giving strangers second chances and less so to those with violent records, or went to prison for murder. The last of Vanya’s lessons seemed to drag on for forever. Diego had gotten bored of the book and just sat on the couch thinking while waiting. His sisters called it brooding or sulking, but he didn’t see it. The second Vanya closed the door behind the little girl Diego was talking. 

“His name isn’t Leonard. It’s Harold Jenkins.” He titled his head back on the couch to watch Vanya stop at the kitchen entrance to stare at him. 

“What’re you talking about? Of course his name is Leonard.” She shook her head and carried on her way. Diego sat up and moved to join her in the open space. She was taking things out of the cabinets and fridge in preparations of making something. 

“No, see, do you remember that program we were watching a few weeks ago?” He leaned against the sink to watch her bustle around the space. “The one where the news lady or whoever was talking to a few convicts in prison that were getting out?”

“I generally ignore when you watch tv.” Vanya pushed him to the side to wash her hands then went back to the raw chicken she had pulled out of the fridge. 

“Moving past that. I recognize that Leonard guy. As Harold Jenkins, who just got out of prison after twelve years. For murder I think.” He hadn’t paid that much attention either to the details but he watched those types of things to get a feel on who might be on the streets. Generally most people that were released from prison went straight but there were a few that didn’t. “Vanya, I’m serious about this guy.”

“Look, people can change. Maybe he’s changed. A new name doesn’t mean anything, Diego.” Vanya moved to the stove where she set a skillet on a burner. “We of all people should know that.” 

“Our situation is different and you know it.” Their birth certificates still said their numbers instead of names. They were legally Number Seven and Number Two, not Vanya and Diego. “I don’t trust it. There’s just something off about him. Trust me on this and steer clear of him, please.” He never used the word please so it caused Vanya to stop and look over her shoulder at him. If he even hinted at pleading then she would take what he was seriously. It was something he reserved for really important things; like making sure his sister didn’t get murdered. 

“Okay, okay, yeah, I’ll be careful.”

Diego spun one of Vanya’s pill bottles in his hand while she fished out her refill. He needed to get to the gym and she was running late for her rehearsal, but neither of them were that set on leaving the house yet. Things had settled down the night before, he didn’t go out and she didn’t have a reason to worry. But Diego was feeling restless again. Seeing everyone together a couple days ago had stirred up some things that he hadn't addressed yesterday. He just went about his day without a thought towards it, but he had been left with his thoughts all night and there was nothing else on his mind. The one time he had decided to go to bed early and he hardly got any sleep. For most of the night he stared up at the ceiling trying to ignore the itch under his skin or the twitch of his fingers reaching for something. It hadn’t hit this hard in a few months.

“Okay, is everything locked away?” Vanya shoved her pill bottle in her jacket pocket and looked over at him. He was sitting on the back of the couch watching the bottle in his hand spin around. “Diego?”

“Yeah, yeah. I locked the door and case. You have the keys.” Diego got to his feet and cracked his knuckles. “Um, I’m going to rehearsal with you, okay? I’d go to the gym but after the last few times…” The last time the itch had hit him he spent damn near an entire in the gym without a word to anyone. He scared Vanya enough to have her going out in search of him. 

“Of course, it’s okay, Diego.” He could hear the keys to his room and knife case jingle in her pocket when she put her hands in them. “Come on, I’m already late.” She made for the door and Diego followed while pulling on his own jacket. This wasn’t the first time he had joined her at the theatre and he doubted it would be the last. 

Vanya’s orchestra was better than the last time he had it on them. That was near a month ago and they were working the same pieces for the concert. He sat in the same seat at the very back and tossed the empty bottles into the air; up and down, up and down, like he used to do with his knives. For three hours Diego listened to the music to distract himself. Any distraction really was better than his alternative. It took him a while to realize that but when he did he started to recognize the signs. So he knew when staying home instead of going to the gym was the best idea or spending the day with Vanya to clear his thoughts. He had gotten good at it. But he couldn’t claim all of the ‘recognition’, Vanya noticed more than he did sometimes. On the days when she asked him to stay home or go on a walk with her, he knew he had something to earn her worry. It was an effective system. 

When Vanya’s practice came to an end they started back home. Then Diego decided he wanted breakfast and they took a detour to a little cafe they had been to quite a few times. He sat by the front window while Vanya sat opposite him to watch the street. They ordered food and coffee, and Diego spun the bottle on the table. It was going to be a quiet day, he could tell. A waitress brought out their orders and it was still quiet. There was a lot on his mind but nothing he wanted to share with Vanya, or anyone. He spun the bottle on the table next to his cup and watched it flip up with the force. 

“Why’d you take that from the house?” The question held no malice or ill intent behind. Diego looked up from the orange plastic to find Vanya watching him with sincere eyes. 

“It gives me something to do.” He picked up his cup and let the bottle settle on the table. “Why do you still take these anyway? They seem counterproductive.” He had seen how closed off she got when she took more than two a day. It had always bothered him. 

“You know I’ve been taking them since we were kids. They help with my nerves.” Vanya drank the last of her coffee with a shrug. 

“That what Dad tell you?” The waitress came back to clear the table and leave the bill. Diego picked it up before Vanya could lift her hand. His card was placed in it and set on the edge of the table for when the waitress came back. 

“Yeah, actually. What, you’d have me just stop taking them?” He looked at her again with a smirk. 

“Yeah, go a day or two, see how you feel. If you feel worse then go back on them, if not, then why bother taking them?” The bill was taken away and Diego picked up the empty bottle again. It was stuffed in his pocket. 

“Fine.” Vanya pulled out the full bottle and held it out to him. He put it in the other pocket of his jacket just as the waitress came back with his card. 

“Bet you can already taste the freedom.” The laugh he got from his sister made him grin. With his card back in its rightful place, they left the cafe. While he talked about a couple of the college kids he had been training they started back to the apartment. Right in the middle of mirroring a move that one of the kids just couldn’t get right he caught sight of Allison walking towards them. She gave them a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. The news that they were calling a family meeting about Mom had him more on edge and rather agitated for the first time in a while. There was nothing wrong with Mom. 

Back in the Academy, Diego stared at the screen in front of him. No, no way, he refused to believe that. Mom would never hurt anyone. When the discussion got to be too much he pointed out that Mom was just taking Dad’s monocle. It got Luther in a mood and Diego was ready to fight when Vanya stepped between them; like she had never done before. Diego backed off and let her talk, hands going into his pockets to give him something to do. With Luther’s suggestion to shut off Mom he made it clear he wasn’t going to let that happen; she was still their Mom dammit. 

“I agree with Luther,” Allison stepped in. Diego scoffed and fought down a glare. 

“Surprise, surprise.” The look she sent him made him remember just why all of them moved away. Whenever they all got together fights started and arguments blossomed and every ounce of work that had been into fixing relationships was shoved away to pick sides. As a family they fought constantly, and Diego still missed it. Even while they were discussing turning off Mom, he missed a family he hadn’t really had. The fights they got into left canyons between them all and they could never find a way to bridge them to make up. Diego missed the simple, petty, arguments of children that didn’t mean anything. Not these wars that split them apart. The fights he missed were never this vicious or biting; never done with the intent to cut one another out of their lives. 

“Right, Klaus, what do you say?” Luther asked, looking to where their brother was eating a packet of chips. 

“Me? Oh so now you want my help? ‘Get out of the van, Klaus’ well, welcome back to the van.” Klaus sent Luther a look that Diego didn’t get. What in the world had happened between them? 

“What van?” Allison asked, clearly as confused as the rest of them. 

“Nothing, it doesn’t matter,” Luther answered. 

“I’m voting with Diego on this, because screw you!” Klaus pointed his chips at Luther. “And if Ben was here, he’d agree with me.” Half a second later and Klaus was hissing into the open air behind Vanya. Diego spared the spot a glance before turning to Vanya for her vote. 

“Right, so that’s two and two-” Luther started before Diego interrupted him. 

“All of us are voting, Luther. This is Mom we’re deciding on.” He couldn’t even believe it had come to this. Deciding if they were going to turn off their Mom. It left a bad taste in his mouth and his stomach turning. 

“I’m with Diego on this,” Vanya said. Diego held out his hands toward her; she understood. It made Luther scoff before he started out of the room. Allison followed after him with Klaus not far behind. The space was quiet and Diego turned to leave as well when he caught sight of Mom watching them. He and Vanya made their way over to her. “Hey, Mom.”

“How much did you hear?” He needed to know. If she heard them then there could be a way to get Luther and Allison to believe she was fine. 

“You all seem upset. I’ll make cookies!” Mom gave them a bright smile before walking away like nothing had happened. Something stopped in Diego’s chest at the sight of her disappearing down the hall. She was fine, she was fine, she’s just distracting herself is all, nothing's wrong with her. Vanya put a hand on his arm and he glanced down at her. Had she always been that short?

“It’ll be okay, Diego.” She gave his arm a squeeze before letting go. He glanced back out into the foyer then up the stairs for where their rooms were. 

“Yeah, I know. She’s just fine.” He rubbed his left arm still staring up at the second landing. She was fine, Mom was fine, nothing was wrong with her. She’s more than just a piece of machinery that their Dad made, she was their Mom. The one that helped them get ready during missions, comforted them after nightmares, made them breakfast in the shape of smiley faces, helped him with his stutter. She had to be fine, she had to. 

“Diego…” He stepped away from Vanya and moved for the stairs. There wasn’t much in the way of thoughts going through his head at the moment. He just felt oddly numb at the moment. “Hey, no, no, not upstairs. You and I both know all that’s waiting up there.” The creeping fear in her voice had him frowning, the fear wasn’t for herself. 

“I'm a grown ass man, Vanya, I can handle a trip down memory lane.” A hand caught his wrist in a gentle grip, like a reminder. He shook her off and started up the steps. 

“Diego, please, don’t let this ruin you. We’ll find a way to help Mom, I promise.” He paused in the middle of the staircase but didn’t look down at her. She was staring up at him and he knew that he would see nothing but worry and concern and comfort in her gaze. 

“I know, I don’t know what I’ll do if we can’t.”


	3. Chapter 3

Oh, god, what had he done? Diego slipped out of the Academy doors before the others could notice what had happened. They could believe those damn psychos had killed Mom, but he would know. He couldn’t just let her carry on like that. Something was wrong with her and he didn’t know how to fix her, so he did the next best thing. He shut her down. His own Mom. She was gone and he was the reason why. He killed her. She was gone. Gone and he did that to her. 

New York was cold at night, but Diego couldn’t feel it. The city moved on around him like nothing was wrong and to them nothing was. But for him? Everything was wrong and flipped upside down and broken. He could feel the heavy weight of one of his old knives sitting in his pocket from where he hadn’t gotten the chance to use it on the psychos that attacked the Academy. It was like a reminder that he was trying to ignore. He didn’t want to fall back into that, he didn’t need to. Yet there it sat, taunting and mocking him with how he had used it to cut through his own Mom’s arm to get to the wires underneath her skin. With the amount of practice he had the movement had been easy and she didn’t even know what was happening until it was done. 

Leaving the knife in his pocket he pulled out Vanya’s pill bottle. The little white pills rattled inside their orange casing when Diego shook them. He could take Klaus’ preferred path of forgetting. It was easy and there. The lid was popped off and two little pills dropped into his waiting palm. They looked so ordinary; they were so Vanya. With a glance up at the obscured sky Diego tossed the pills into his mouth and swallowed them dry. They were nerve pills anyway and his nerves were all sorts of on edge at the moment. Hopefully they would curb any other itch he was having. 

The pier he found himself on was the same one he almost died on a year and a half ago. Funny how his feet knew the path well enough to take him there. They knew the danger of the night too apparently. Diego leaned on the railing with his knife in his hands but he wasn’t focused on it. Those pills work some fucking wonders. He felt just fine, if only a little numb and tired, but he felt like himself. The thoughts of Mom were pushed back from his mind and he found himself just watching the water move. It was peaceful. There was no one else around and the night was clear enough to almost see the stars reflected in the dark water. His knife was tossed up into the air and he went to leave it up there for a moment but it came right back down without his input. He blinked at the shiny blade before tossing it up again. The same thing happened. It came back down. With another set of thoughts he turned away from the water to scope out the area for a target. Maybe it was just his concentration. Certainly his lack of control had nothing to do with the pills he had taken; the four he took before noticing what he had been doing. 

In the middle of the open space were a few street lamps. They would make good enough targets to curve around. Diego readied the knife and held it close to his right ear before throwing it as hard as he could at the nearest pole. Mid-air he went to curve the trajectory around the pole only to have the knife soar right on past it. He moved to go grab it with a frown. Were Vanya’s pills doing this? The blade was back in his hand and he moved to throw it around the pole again. It landed a few feet away from the pole without even a hint of wanting to turn off course. He didn’t know how long he spent throwing that damn knife and trying to get it to curve mid-air, but no matter what he tried it kept a straight path. The sky was starting to lighten when he was interrupted. 

“Diego!” Vanya and Allison’s voices echoed in the quiet pier. Diego moved to pick up his knife again from the edge of the railing it had slid towards. His arms were tired from all of the throwing he had done and a weak thrum was in his veins that let him know his power was waking back up. 

“Diego, thank god!” He stood up to find Allison and Vanya running towards him. They didn’t stop until they were right in front of him then they pulled him into a group hug. It was nice but he had other things on his mind. “Are you alright?” Allison’s voice was thick with worry and tears. Diego pulled away to take his sisters in. They both looked disheveled and upset and had tear tracks down their cheeks. 

“I’m fine.” He turned the blade in over his hands as he peered down at Vanya. There was a thought kicking around in his head. If her pills stopped his powers and she had been taking them since they were children then there was a good possibility she had powers too. “We need to call a family meeting. Get everyone home, Five, Klaus, even Pogo.”

“Diego, what’s going on? Are you okay?” Vanya lifted a hand to touch the side of his face and he blinked down at her. No, he wasn’t okay, but there were bigger things to worry about. 

“Family meeting, now. It’s important.” Diego twirled the knife in his hands again and started to walk away from them. 

“Wait! What is going on? What is this about?” Allison caught his arm in a gentle grip, just in case. He shook her off and turned to hold his knife up to her face. “Are you…? Did you…?” The concern and worry in her eyes made him sigh. He rolled up his sleeves to show no new cuts or scars had been added. 

“Just, watch this.” He held up the knife again before pointing it at the same pole he had been using. “We know how my power works, this knife is going to curve around that pole and come back, right?” His sisters shared a look but gave him equal nods of confusion. “Wrong.” He threw the blade and it soared through the air like it had for the last several hours to land in the same spot several feet from the pole. When he looked over to his sisters he found them still confused. “I can’t curve it anymore. Don’t you see?” 

“Diego, seriously, what is going on with you?” Allison grabbed his shoulder when he went to get his knife. He stopped and dug his hand into his jacket pocket. Vanya’s pill bottle was pulled out and shaken at them. It made them gasp and had Vanya reaching out for it. 

“Ah, nope. You are not getting these back.” He dropped the bottle back into his pocket. 

“How many of those did you take?” There was a distinct fear in Vanya’s that made Diego sigh. It was expected for his sisters to worry but there were bigger things to worry about than him. 

“Four, but that’s not what I’m getting at.”

“Four! Diego I’ve been taking those since we were kids, I’ve got an immunity built up. That’s why I take so many.” Vanya reached for him and caught the edge of his jacket before he could move out of the way. He grabbed her wrist before she could take the bottle from his pocket. Allison moved to grab them herself but Diego stepped out of the way, letting go of Vanya. 

“Stop! I’m just fine. The last one was hours ago anyway.” He didn’t like the concern on their faces. “This isn’t about me. This is about Vanya!” 

“Me?” 

“What does this have to do with her?” Diego didn’t like the tone Allison had. He glared at her and stepped further out of range of her reach. The guilt that crossed her face didn’t help with what she had said. 

“These pills, she’s been taking them since we were kids.” The bottle was back in his hand and he shook it at them. “I took four of them and haven’t been able to curve a single throw since.” He tossed the bottle into the air and tried to make it hover, but it did little more than wobble before coming back down. Allison and Vanya shared a look that he knew meant they thought he was crazy. He’d seen it enough times aimed at Klaus. “If they block my powers then I have no doubt they’ve been blocking Vanya’s!”

“I don’t have any powers, I’m ordinary.” The words seemed to pain Vanya to say. They made Diego shake his head and move to go grab his knife. 

“You’re not. I’m almost positive on it.” He bent down to pick up the knife. 

“Oh my god.” Diego shot up to look back at Allison to find her hands cover her mouth. “I didn’t understand until now.” She turned to Vanya and Diego jogged back over to them. “When we were four, do you remember when Dad kept you away from us because you were sick?” Vanya looked uneasy and kept glancing back at Diego. He didn’t understand what Allison was going on about either. “He asked me to rumor you, but I forgot about it until now. He wanted you to think you were ordinary.” 

“Wow, that’s great, Allison. Sister of the year award there.” The glare Allison gave him did nothing to curb the burning anger he had at her and their father. It wasn’t him that got rumored and he was still pissed about it. Vanya was their sister. She didn’t deserve to be treated like she had been. He could admit he was part of the problem but he was trying to mend that. 

“So, so, you’re saying I have powers? That I’m- That I’m not ordinary?” Vanya looked ready to pass out and Diego moved to put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched but let him touch her. “And you knew? This entire time?” The hurt in her voice had Allison close to tears. 

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know what it meant! I would never have done it, I swear.” Thunder rumbled overhead that had Diego looking up. The sky had been clear a few minutes ago. He looked back at Vanya to find her still staring at Allison with that hurt and angry expression. Allison was pleading and so close to tears. 

“Vanya?” She glanced over at him and the wind picked up around them. The amount of anger in her eyes made him want to sigh. He knew what it was like to be pissed off all the time. Vanya had never had an angry bone in her body when they were younger; other than as young children. “Look.” He pointed up to the sky to get his sisters to look up. The thick clouds were gathering overhead and looked ready to start raining on them. A few fat drops came down to land on the ground. 

“That’s a coincidence.” With Vanya’s settling anger the wind calmed down and several of the clouds cleared away. 

“It’s not.” Diego stuffed his hands in his pockets and gave her a smirk. “Come on, family meeting.” He turned and started off the pier with his sisters following. “I’m guessing neither of you drove?”

“Uh, no.” Allison kept glancing at Vanya but their sister was ignoring her. It got quiet as they started for the nearest bus stop. Diego stuffed his hands in his pockets and spun the pill bottle in his hand. He knew the pills suppressed Vanya’s powers and his own, but he couldn’t deny that he liked the feeling of being numb from everything. Even if it was only a few hours at a time. It was a dangerous line of thought. One that he knew wasn’t going away any time soon. 

The silence between the three of them carried on until they got back to the Academy. Diego almost couldn’t bear to step foot inside knowing that Mom was most likely still sitting on the second landing dead to the world around her. He didn’t look up as he moved into the library. Allison and Vanya followed behind him and they sat down on the couches; Allison on her own with Vanya next to him. And still it was quiet. Diego knew he was going to have to be the one to start the conversation but he didn’t know if he could. He thought things were going to be fine if they came back, if he could step foot inside he would get over it. But now with the pills wearing off his skin itched and his nerves were on edge again. It wasn’t so bad yet, but it was going to be soon. 

“Right, do you know where the others are?” He had left the house without even checking if anyone else was hurt. Which he doubted but one never knew. 

“I think Luther might have gone looking for Five. Those psychos came looking for him and he never showed yesterday.” Allison looked uncertain but at least it was a starting point.

“Okay, and Klaus was here.” Diego stopped talking and listened for anything upstairs. That’s where Klaus was most likely to be if he was still home. If he was home. But there wasn’t a reason for Klaus not to be around. He knew for certain Klaus had been taking a bath last night, so he must have heard the noise, right? And if he had then where was he? “Do you know if he’s still here?”

“I don’t think so. I didn’t see him when we left,” Vanya said. 

“He probably got scared and left. You know he was never one for fighting.” Allison’s word did little to curb the bad feeling Diego had. After the last year and a half with his sisters, he was feeling rather protective of all of his siblings. And he had always tried to help Klaus when they were younger. 

“Yeah but he’s never left a fight before. Hide away? All the time, but he never ditched us.” Even when that was the right move, Klaus never left them behind. He wouldn’t just leave the Academy if he knew they were fighting downstairs. He would hide in his room then come check on them when the noise had stopped. “Neither of you have seen him and the last I knew he was taking a bath around the time those freaks broke in. They were looking for Five, right? What’s to say they didn’t take Klaus to get to Five?”

“I think you’re being paranoid.” Allison looked like she wanted to put a hand on his shoulder but was on the couch opposite of him. “I’m sure he’s fine. Out getting high somewhere.”

“We’ll find him, Diego, I don’t think he’d have gone far.” Vanya did put her hand on his shoulder. He wanted to believe that Klaus was just out doing his thing, but he could not shake away the thought that something was wrong. Maybe it was those pills? He had always been sort of paranoid, maybe they amplified that.

“Okay, Allison, you go after Luther and help him find Five. Vanya, you and I are looking for Klaus.” With his decision he got to his feet. Vanya’s pills no doubt already wore off completely on her and Diego wanted the entire family to be there to see the extent of what she could do. There had to be a reason Dad kept her on those pills, but he refused to believe anything the old man did was for the good of them. Yet there was a nagging thought of why Dad had made them all believe Vanya was ordinary. Maybe she was too powerful to train at a young age?

“Stay safe.” Allison got up as well and moved to pull him into a hug. He wasn’t feeling it but he didn’t deny her. She probably needed it more than he did. “Vanya…” 

“I’ll watch him.” Diego pulled away from Allison and scowled at her. He was doing just fine at the moment and didn’t need supervision. Besides, it’s not like he was going to do something like they thought. Vanya’s pill had actually worked wonders on stopping that urge. 

“Watch me my ass, let’s go.”

The first stop was not home but Diego pulled Vanya through the city to where Eudora lived. She was a cop and one of the only people he trusted. If they had other people looking for Klaus then they could find him sooner. When they showed up on her porch just as she was leaving for work Diego did most of the talking. Vanya and Eudora didn’t really know each other outside the one or two times they met because of him. It didn’t take a lot to convince her to keep an eye out. Diego had more he wanted to say to her but he knew it wasn’t the time or place. 

For hours they roamed the streets looking for any sign of Klaus. Diego was getting antsy again and before any more time could pass, it was nearly one in the morning, Vanya was dragging him back to their apartment. He wanted to fight her but she held firm in her insistence he got some sleep. The entire way home he fought down the urge to snap at her or do anything to jeopardize the relationship they had built up. Getting into moods like this made him into an asshole most of the time. And Vanya seemed to understand that as well. The second they entered the apartment she let go of his arm and let him go off on his own. He muttered to himself as he went for the bathroom, he needed a shower not sleep and besides his room was still locked. Through the bathroom door he could hear Vanya moving around, most likely making something to eat since they hadn’t eaten anything since two that afternoon. Diego didn’t much care to eat at the moment.

It was probably gross to put his clothes back on after his shower but he didn’t feel like going into his room. For a while he stood in front of the mirror staring at his reflection, not really seeing himself. His hand played with the pill bottle he had set out on the counter. It was a bad idea, he knew that. Starting a different addiction didn’t get rid of the first but he liked the feeling of being numb surprisingly. There was something safe and freeing about it. He debated on it before popping open the lid to take out two of them. This was a bad idea. A bad feeling was curling in his chest but he ignored it. The second he took the pills there was a knocking on the door and Vanya telling him that Eudora called. He cursed and left the open bottle on the counter when he went to open the door.

“Come on.” Diego took Vanya’s arm and started pulling her for the door. She didn’t protest but he caught the look she was sending him. She knew. They didn’t have time for a discussion though and they got into his car.

The drive to the address was quiet even though he could tell Vanya wanted to say something. It wasn’t the time and he hoped it never would be. He’d be fine, it was only two anyway. When they got to the motel he convinced her to stay behind and be there for when Klaus came out. He and Eurdora had to take care of those freaks, and he didn’t want his siblings getting hurt. Vanya might have understood that but she still frowned at him as he walked away. Inside the small lobby he found Eudora staring up at the clock. It was a short greeting then they were searching the motel for any signs of Klaus or those freaks. When the first floor of rooms were cleared they started up the stairs. Eudora had him stay behind her despite his insistence he was a better fighter. He didn’t have a weapon and she knew that. The single knife he had on him was worth little if everyone else had guns. Something she had pointed out to him several times in the past that he always ignored.

“Dora.” Diego caught her arm and pulled her to a stop. There was a muffled banging from the room they had just passed. Eudora got a key off the maid and opened the door while Diego kept an eye out behind them. Never could be too careful. 

“Are you Klaus?” He couldn’t help turning to see if his brother was alright. Klaus was bloody and covered in sweat but there didn’t seem to be any life threatening wounds. Once Eudora had his hands free from the chair Klaus was taking the tape off his mouth. Diego stepped into the room to grab him the second he was standing. He had to get Klaus down to Vanya. 

“There’s two of-”

“I know, I know.” Diego was about to pull him towards the door when there was movement from the other end of the room. It didn’t sound like more than one person. He glanced back out the door to see if there was anyone else outside and there wasn’t. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going wrong here. He looked around the room and found the vent near the bed. “The vent. Klaus, Vanya is outside, you go to her, alright?” 

“What? Why is she-?” Klaus tried to ask his questions but Diego pushed him for the vent. He spied a shadow under the bathroom door, still only the one. 

“Just go!” His voice wasn’t over a whisper. Klaus looked like he wanted to say something else but did as Diego said. Just as he had the grate off and was halfway through the bathroom door opened.

“Police, drop your weapon.” Eudora got between the space of Diego and the back of the room. It was a nice sentiment, her trying to protect him. There was a clatter then a gun being tossed out of the open door. This was too easy. He went to voice as much when there was a sound from behind him. Eudora was moving for the bathroom while Diego turned around. Just as he did a gunshot rang out. Time seemed to slow down as Diego watched someone move outside the door like they were running. His eyes followed the movement but he couldn’t force his body to react. A sting started in the center of his chest that grew worse with each passing millisecond. Everything was so slow now. Someone was talking and he finally blinked to find himself staring up at a ceiling. When had he fallen? A hand was on his chest but he couldn’t quite feel it over the burn. A face came into his line of sight and their lips were moving without words he couldn’t hear. He was tired. As his eyes slipped closed he finally heard what was being said. “No, no, Diego, Diego! You can’t pass out!”

Waking up was like swimming through glue. It was sticky and slow. Diego was so goddamn tired. His body felt heavy and weighed down and it was like there was cotton stuffed in his head. Some noise just barely reached his ears before that little bit of consciousness faded away. 

The next time he woke up he could hear voices having hushed conversations but he couldn’t wake himself up enough to see what was going on. 

Again things were fuzzy and muffled. 

It was dark and warm around him. Soft and nice. Welcoming. He almost wanted to stay there. But then things got loud and he was swept under again. 

Diego opened his eyes. He felt fuzzy and worn down. Lifting an arm he went to rub a hand down his face when there was a gasp. He startled and let his arm fall as he turned his head towards the noise. Vanya sat in a chair beside him with her hands over her mouth. For a moment they stared at each other then she was getting up to hug him. It was awkward as he patted her back with one hand. He had no idea what was happening. Why was he in a hospital? Why was his sister crying? Did he try something? He hadn’t been thinking about it but he might have. Nothing was certain when he couldn’t remember. 

“I’m so glad you're awake.” Vanya leaned away to wipe her face clean of the tears still rolling down her cheeks. She sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed his hand. Her grip was tight. 

“W-wha-” His throat was dry and felt like sandpaper. Vanya leaned over his to grab something from near his head. A glass of water was in her hand with a pink straw. He eyed it before accepting the help she was offering. When she set the glass back down he finally asked his question. “What ha-happened?” 

“How much do you remember?” Her voice was cautious and he was starting to think he had done something. She wouldn’t be so worried for anything else. 

“Uh, we were looking for Klaus. But then you decided we should go home to get some sleep.” He took a shower and was contemplating taking more of her pills. Did he? That was where his memory got fuzzy so it made sense. “Did I...Did I do something?” For a moment Vanya looked confused then she was shaking her head.

“No, no, you didn’t try anything.” She patted his hand and he felt a little better. Then he was here for another reason that wasn’t his doing, most likely. “No, we found Klaus. Eudora called us and we met her at a motel. Those...Those people that attacked the Academy shot you.” She nodded down to his chest and he tilted his head down to see what she meant. There was a thick white bandage around the entirety of his chest. “But, Diego, that was almost a month ago.” 

“What?” He tried to sit up more but Vanya pushed him back down with a hand on his shoulder. “A month?” It was probably stupid but he only had one thing on his mind at that second. “I missed my fight.”

“Yeah, yeah, you did.” Vanya laughed and Diego felt a little better about it. Missing one fight wasn’t the end of the world or his career. Besides, a gunshot wound makes for a hell of an excuse. “We, uh, we’ve all been here with you. Even Five. More so after the whole apocalypse passed.”

“Wait, wait, back up. Apocalypse?” What the hell did he miss? Vanya frowned and looked to the side. “Vanya…”

“Five had been trying to stop it since he got back. The world was supposed to end April first but it didn’t happen. I was supposed to be the cause.” Diego winced at her words and squeezed the hand still holding his. “Those two assassins that attacked us were supposed to kill you to get me to lose control and destroy the world. But Five got the message first and so they never had a chance to try. Klaus and I didn’t even know what was happening until the others explained everything.”

“Sounds like bullshit to me.” Vanya grimaced at him and he sighed. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, I do. But why would you destroy the world under any circumstance?” His sister wouldn’t hurt a fly. She was literally the nicest person he knew; despite the book she had written. 

“I-I don’t know. I don't know how to control my powers and when you got shot things got out of control. Nothing really happened but it rained for nearly a week straight after. And I might have destroyed your car.” She looked sheepish and wouldn’t meet his eyes. “The, uh, entire left side is caved in and the windows are blown out. I’m sorry.”

“It was an old car anyway.” Diego hardly used it so it’s not like it mattered. “So, why’re you here by yourself?” Really he was asking where their siblings were and she knew that by the small smile she gave him. 

“Klaus was getting something to eat last I knew, Allison and Five went back to the Academy a couple hours ago to get some sleep, and Luther is around here somewhere.” And speak of the devil. Diego looked up as the door opened to reveal two of their brothers. Klaus was carrying bags of chips in his arms while Luther was rolling his eyes at whatever was being said. Both of them came to a stop when they saw he was awake. 

“Diego!” Klaus dropped what was in his arms and sprinted for the bed. Diego braced himself as Klaus crawled up on the bed next to him and pulled him into a hug. It was tight and made his chest ache. “I’m so glad you’re finally awake. It’s been so boring!” When Klaus didn’t move to pull away Diego sighed and patted his back like he had done with Vanya. His brother relaxed his grip but only moved to lay on the bed next to him. “Sobriety just isn’t as fun without my favorite brother.”

“You’re sober?” Diego looked down at Klaus while his brother looked up at him with a grin and nod. “Wow, alright, that’s great. Keep it that way.”

“Yes, sir!” Klaus unwrapped an arm to give him a mock salute. It made Diego laugh and relax against the pillows. He really was proud of Klaus even if he didn’t know the reason for his sudden sobriety. Though maybe it’s not so sudden to everyone else.

“It’s good to see you awake.” Luther joined them by the bed and set the bags on the end around Diego’s feet. He must have been picking them up after Klaus. It got quiet for a moment after Diego nodded to his brother. They had never really gotten along when they were younger but they were still family. “Uh, Five and Allison should be here later. They’ll be excited to know you’re awake finally.”

“I’m sure. Allison worries too much and Five is just old.” With a sigh, Diego ran a hand over his face. He was getting tired. 

“How about you get some sleep? We’re not going anywhere.” Vanya pulled her legs up onto the bed and still held his hand. Luther dropped down into the chair next to the bed while Klaus cuddled close to Diego’s side. 

“Yeah, alright.” He didn’t really want to sleep any more but he couldn’t stay awake for much longer. His arm dropped around Klaus’ shoulders and with Vanya messing with the fingers of his other hand, Diego fell back asleep. 

When he woke up again Five and Allison were there to greet him. Luther was asleep in the chair and Diego had both Vanya and Klaus sleeping on either side of him. It was nice, knowing that they all cared about him. For a few hours he talked with Five and Allison in between the doctors and nurses coming to check on him. The others were left to sleep while he was caught up on what happened while he was asleep. There was a lot but nothing disastrous. The two freaks had been turned into one when Hazel - the one in the blue mask according to Five - took the briefcase to live out a life with some waitress. Diego didn’t have much of an opinion on it considering Five informed him that it was the other one, Cha Cha, that had shot him. She was gone or something of the sort, he didn’t really care. Allison told him about how Pogo knew about Vanya’s powers and that she was actually more dangerous than the rest of them. But after the incident with his car she hadn’t done anything else with her powers apparently. Diego was just glad that all of them were alright, and he told them as much. Every chance he got. 

A day after he woke up Eudora came to visit him. She was surprised to see him awake but also super happy. Five minutes into seeing her again Diego asked her on a date. He had almost died and he wanted to see where their new relationship would go just in case something else happened. It made her laugh but she accepted the offer anyway. Of course, it wouldn’t happen until he was out of the hospital and out of physical therapy, but he didn’t care. He would wait forever to get the chance to spend time with her again. It was probably weird but even after years apart he still loved her. 

It took another month before Diego was almost completely healed. He went through physical therapy to get his muscle movement and strength back after nearly two straight months of being confined to a bed. From that he was allowed to get back into his training even though the doctors warned him against anything too strenuous. Things were going back to normal finally. With the exception of his other siblings being in his life once more. Time not spent at the gym or home was at the Academy with Five, Luther, and Klaus; and Mom and Pogo. It was just those five living there with Allison still in LA going through her court mandated therapy and him and Vanya in their apartment. But things were going well. Klaus didn’t quite have a job but he found that people enjoyed the art he would doodle sometimes. Luther, unsurprisingly to Diego, took up astronomy and actually learned about the Moon instead of just living on it. And Five, well, Diego wasn’t quite sure what he did. Some days Diego would find him drinking a margarita with Delores in the library and other times he was writing pages and pages of math equations. But if the old man was happy then Diego didn’t care what he did. 

Diego and Eudora started dating again, and he was so in love with her. Things this time around were just better than before. They had time for each other and did the things that they never could the first time around. He had been so focused on his fighting career and her on being a detective that they just didn’t do much outside of those two things. This time though, Eudora was already an established detective and Diego had a well built career around him. It left more time for them. Even though he was really trying to build up the lost muscle mass. 

Three months out of the hospital and Diego had another fight lined up. It hadn’t taken a lot to convince the others and Eudora to come watch him. It was a smaller fight anyway, just to get his rhythm back. 

Diego bounced on his feet while waiting for the announcer to get everything started. He was blue this time so he was coming out first. The cornerman that was with Diego wasn’t who he usually had but they were good enough. Jared would’ve been there but he had another fighter across the country. It was just Diego this time. Though he wasn’t completely alone, his family was there for the first time to see him fight. It gave him some confidence he didn’t need. He planned to win this fight no matter what. People needed to see that he wasn’t going to let a little thing like a gunshot wound to keep him down. He wasn’t done with this yet, there were still several fights left in him. 

When the announcer finally started talking Diego came out from behind the curtains. The same ritual he did for every fight was brought out but he searched out for Eudora in the crowd to wink at her. Even from across the ring he could see her laugh and shake her head. Vanya and Klaus were on either side of her while Five, Luther, and Allison were sitting behind them. It felt so nice to see them actually there. He was forced to look away from them to get prepped for the ring before he was let up the stairs. The ref inside gave him a nod and he gave one back. Then the announcer was calling out the next fighter. Diego knew who it was and was glad to be fighting them again. Thomas joined him in the ring with a grin. They hadn’t seen each other since Diego went to stay in LA nearly two years ago. The kid was going places but had agreed to a rematch with him. And both of them knew Diego was going to win this fight no matter what. 

With the start of the first round the two of them circled each other. It was a mirror of their last fight. Diego made a left jab for the kid’s face and ducked under the fist coming for his head. He aimed a punch at Thomas’ ribs; it was the one place Diego had tried to get the kid to protect better. The kid jumped back and moved to protect himself against Diego’s next hit. Thomas swung out with a leg for a shin kick that Diego jumped over, too easy. The next few traded punches left them backing up again to get some space. He knew the kid was looking for an opening and Diego was going to give him one. Best to get him out of his range then go for the knockout. This fight was going to end much sooner than their last one, he was going to make sure of that. Taking a step to the side and swinging up his right leg for Thomas’ head, Diego knew the kid was going to take the bait. A fist went for his unprotected left side and Diego moved his left arm to push the hand down before bringing his right into Thomas’ nose. Diego fell back to his feet while the kid staggered back and fell to the mats. 

The fight was called and Diego knew he had won. He turned to give his family a grin and another wink before letting the medic look him over. Like he had known when the ref had them in the middle of the ring his arm was held up to show he was the winner. It was a good fight to get back into the rhythm. 

“Hey, I’m glad you’re alright, man. We all heard about your stay in the hospital.” Thomas patted his arm and glanced down at the scar near the center of Diego’s chest. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m completely fine. Thanks for agreeing to a rematch and being my first fight back. You still gotta watch your ribs, kid.” Diego elbowed the kid softly to get his point across. Thomas laughed while the two of them walked out of the ring. 

“I know, I’ve been working on it like you said. Still gets the best of me though.” The kid shrugged with a helpless grin. “Maybe you’ll let me train under you again?” The hopeful look on his face made Diego shake his head with a laugh. 

“Yeah, sure, you know where to find me. I was teaching more than training before everything happened, it’ll be good to have another student.” Diego spotted Eudora and the others coming towards them. “Unless you want to face my family you might want to walk away.” Thomas followed his gaze before it trailed over to Klaus and a blush spread across his cheeks. It was not something Diego missed. Instead he wrapped an arm around the kid’s shoulders and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “He’s single and free if you want to go for it.”

“What?!” The kid squeaked and pulled away from Diego. It made him laugh again and reach out to pat Thomas’ shoulder. If the kid really was going to develop a thing for Klaus then Diego would make sure he went for it. Klaus would have to decide to like Thomas on his own but Diego had zero doubts on that not happening. 

“That was great, Dee! Though was there a need to hit such a pretty face that hard?” Klaus bounced up to Diego’s side and gave Thomas a wink with his words. The kid flushed harder and looked away. Oh yeah, that was going places. 

“He’ll live. He’s not even bleeding.” Diego steered his brother in Thomas’ direction to face the rest of the family. Five looked unimpressed like usual and Allison was just giving him a little smile. Vanya and Luther actually looked uncomfortable. And Diego could understand. One had never been into fighting and the other had done it for most of his life. This just wasn’t their type of thing, but they had still gone to support him. It was nice of them. 

“You did great, though keep your sweaty self out of my bed until you’ve showered.” Eudora said and Diego just gave her a grin. With little warning he leaned forward to kiss her and, when she didn’t immediately pull away, he knew that life was going to okay for the first time in a long time.


End file.
